Improvement in railroads



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH ANTHONY, OF GREENBUSI-I, NEWV YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROADS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.4 38,274, dated April28, 1863.

To (LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosEPH ANTHONY, of Greenbush, Rensselaer county,State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in theConstruction of Railroads; and I declare the following specification,with the drawings accompanying and forming part of it, to be a full andperfect description of my nvention.

Figure 1 represents my device in plan Fig. 2, in cross-section; Fig. 3,a part of it in perspective.

Similar letters denote the same parts of the apparatus.

It is well known that there is great difficulty 1n maintaining theproper level and true line of railway-track as it is at presentconstructed, with the rails resting directly upon the sleepers orcross-ties and fastened to them by spikes. The heavypressure andponderons jarrings of the cars soon bruise into the wood under the raila groove, and the rail itself becomes crowning vby the elongation of itshead, which causes it to arch upward, so that it can only rest upon thesleepers at its ends, either lifting the sleeper with it at theintermediate points, -or else tending to draw the spikes and risingitself from the sleeper. In either case the result is that thishammering process, repeated hundreds of times a day, driving the ends ofthe sleepers down with each blow, then springing back by its elasticity,forms cavities in the earth under them of serious depth, destroying thefoundations of the road, eXposin g the rails to breakageas well as thecars to be thrown from the track by the irregularities of the surface ofthe road. The filling up of these cavities is a work of much care andlabor and a source of enormous expense. To remedy these evils is theobject of my invention, which consists in combining the materials usedin the superstructure of railroads, so that each and every function ofthe same may be performed and provided for by independent and separatemeans so combined as to prevent to so great an extent destruction to anyof its parts.

My road is constructed in the following manner: A A represents the usualT-rail, supported by the ordinary sleeper or cross-tie K, extending fromrail to rail, or I propose to use the sleeper divided in the center ofits length,

with each part placed so that the rail shall lie over its center, as atB B.

Instead of being in above form, the sleepers may be round or square, orof any shape having sufficient bearing surface to support the rail ateach point b b. The rail is not to be fastened to the sleeper, but liesupon a wedge or block, O, interposed between it and the sleeper, for thepurpose of adjusting it to the level of the track whenever that isdisturbed, and for the further purpose of interposing a medium toreceive the impression of the rails, if any be made by the jarrings ofthe cars, for it is cheaper to supply wedges than sleepers when injured.

To keep the rails laterally in place and preserve the gage of the track,I use at proper intervals gage-bars E, secured to the rails at each endand fastened at their center to anchorsills H, being pieces of timber orplank similar to the sleepers, which lie in the center between thetracks, secured to the cross-ties K, or where divided, as B B, theanchor-sill is to be embedded in the ground.

To mitigate the effect of the jarrings or hammerings of the cars Iinterpose between the wedge and rail an elastic cushion, of indiarubberor equivalent elastic material, J, formed and iitted, as shown at Fig.3, being a square or oblong piece of the material, having low flangesformed on both sides, one set embracing the wedge and the other therail, so as to keep the cushion in place when the wedge is driven up. f

The operation of my improvement is manifest. The rail comes in contactonly with the wedge and cushion at its point of support, and thus thesleeper or tie is protected from the eifect of the jarring of the cars,which is received by the wedge or cushion, or both. Whatever spaces maybe formed between the rails and sleepers by the crowning of the bars orany other cause can be promptly taken up by the wedge, which is securedto the sleeper bya spike tightly driven into the sleeper, or in anyother convenient way, and thus the rail is protected from danger ofbreakage and the level of the road maintained. I

The rails being kept to lthe gage by the anchor-sleeper and gage-bar,there is no necessity for their being fas tened to the sleepers.

They can therefore be promptly taken up, 2. The elastic cushion, havingdouble straightened, or repaired, or replaced with litalnges.

tle expense of time or trouble and with no in- 3. The combination of theanchor-sleeper, jury to the other parts of road. elastic cushion, theWedge or block, the rail,

What I claim as my invention, and desire to the sleeper, and thegage-bar. secure by Letters Patent, are the following devices, asdescribed and for the purposes set Witnesses: forth in the abovespecification:

1. The anchor-sleeper.

JOSEPH ANTHONY.

RIOHD. VARICK DEWITT, E. J. MILLER.

